The President of the Atlantic Technological University has called on Government to lift restraints placed upon technological universities.
Dr Orla Flynn made the comments during a conferring ceremony at the ATU Donegal campus in Letterkenny today, where she highlighted the barriers ATU and other technological universities face as they try to serve the west and north west.
“To fully deliver on our promise to the region, we need to be given the full set of tools used by other universities in Ireland and across Europe,” Dr Flynn said.
“We need to be able to appoint Professors. We need to be able to access funds to deliver essential facilities for our students and staff, and we need to be able to develop affordable student accommodation.”
Dr Flynn also highlighted the achivements of the ATU during its short existence, despite these funding and regulatory barriers.
“In our two and a half years of existence, ATU has been especially focused on the needs of the people of our region. The recent announcements that we will be providing programmes in Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy are evidence of this commitment. My thanks to all involved in this outstanding work even though there is a lot more work to do in the months ahead.”
In closing, Dr Flynn appealed to policymakers and government leaders: “I am calling on those who hold the keys to use them, to enable us to unlock our full potential and, in turn, the potential of the region.”
